I have a 14 year old female Persian. I am having great difficulty with her eyes. The skin under her eyes is VERY raw. As it is constantly wet it's not healing. The hair is non existent now and it has also disappeared around her muzzle. I know it is painful for her when I try to clean. I really need some help.... I hate to see her so uncomfortable. She has also just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I am beside myself as how to deal with this. The vet has her on pills. She is also vomiting either hair balls or...could it be a reaction to the meds. She sees the vet next week but right now I need to see if anyone can suggest what to do about the eye situation. By the way, she is not your typical laid back Persian. She has an attitude!

What are you using to clean the eyes? Most people here use a make-up pad or wash cloth and then saline to gently clean the area. If the area is constantly well, you can just gently wipe with a dry tissue or carefully use Eye Envy powder or cornstarch in the hair areas to absorb the liquid.

Do remember, both the age and the hyperthyroidism will effect how quickly the hair grows back.

_________________"If a homeless cat could talk, it would probably say, 'Give me shelter, food, companionship and love, and I will be yours for life!' " - Susan Easterly

With her age and just being diagnosed plus the vomiting, my opinion is she should be taken back to the vet immediately. Cats are dehydrated very quickly...a matter of a couple of days can be extremely serious. Hair loss is a symptom of hypothyroidism in people so I'd guess it could easily be there in animals as well. Poor little thing. Again, I stress, a trip to the vet is most likely in order.

Thanks for the advice. I had called the vet afew days ago and her asst. did not seemed overly concerned about the vomiting. She has done this in the past due to hair balls.i have noticed that she is eating more since being on the meds? We are going to France in Sept. and have always had a neighbour feed her. We are unsure about asking her this time due to the extra responsibility of getting her to take her meds. It is a real battle. Would boarding her at the vets,even though it's not cheap, be too much of a trauma for a 14 year old cat used to her own home and who is much loved? My husband and I feel that we might not worry too much about health issues if she was there. But the change in environment? She is the first cat we've had after many years of dogs so we're not as versed on "cat issues"!

I'd be very hesitant to board her at a vet if she's never done that before. While the vet staff could watch and medicate her, unless they have a boarding area that is quiet, the stress level would be high. I adopt shelter cats, and Persians do not do well in shelter situations and often get ill from the stress. Now most shelters are noiser, but still....

Could you find a petsitter to come in? Some petsitters will give pills. A few of them are actually vet techs. You might want to ask your vet or friends to recommend someone.

_________________"If a homeless cat could talk, it would probably say, 'Give me shelter, food, companionship and love, and I will be yours for life!' " - Susan Easterly

I'll try. Now I'm really worried( I always have to have something to worry about!) . I do not know anyone that does this. All my family(children) live out of town.until this medical problem I never had problems.The only other option is to try a transdermal cream rubbed inside her ear.......again if she'll cooperate. She is not your normal Persian, laid back and placid. She's very feisty , the vets has quite a chuckle every time I in with her!

You didn't say how long you would be in France (mega-envy here), but honestly, if she didn't get her pill for 1-2 weeks, it probably wouldn't hurt her. I would be better if she got some or all her pills, but thyroid problems are not the "miss one pill and the cat dies" kind of issues.

BTW, is the drug tapazole?

Forgot to add -- Persians come in two types -- placid and terrors. The latter can be quite fun at times.

_________________"If a homeless cat could talk, it would probably say, 'Give me shelter, food, companionship and love, and I will be yours for life!' " - Susan Easterly

Yes, that is what's on.she's only just been diagnosed 3 weeks ago and has a follow-up next week.oh yeah, we are gone for 2 weeks only. As far as temperament, she is a lot of fun! Difficult to groom as she gets quite impatient very quickly. What have I got myself into?! We are in our 70s but like Cleo think we are in our 30s!I bought her from a breeder after I retired not thinking that as she aged, so did we!She seems to be running the household.......true to her name!

Running your household -- well, duh. I work to pay my cats' mortgage because I know I don't own this house.

Tapazole is not tolerated well by some cats. It does stress the kidneys and liver and can cause symptoms such a voimiting or increased thirst. Here's a link: http://www.vetinfo.com/side-effects-methimazole.html (Methimazole is the active chemical in the tapazole.)

_________________"If a homeless cat could talk, it would probably say, 'Give me shelter, food, companionship and love, and I will be yours for life!' " - Susan Easterly

Thanks so much for the info. I will print it out to take to the vet. We live in Toronto, Canada and there is Veterinary University in Guelph just north of us. My daughter teaches there(not in that particular field) so I will ask her to check it out. Have you heard about the success of the transdermal or the low iodine cat food? The only thing with the cat food is that once on it ,that's all she can have. No treats......nothing, just the low iodine, and it only comes in one flavour. Maintenant , a bientot ! (as they say in France and Quebec!)